My wife and I are interested in visiting Ft Worth to visit the museums. Searches on the usual sites don't show anywhere obviously interesting to stay or eat near the museums.

Can you offer recommendations? We would probably rather stay in a business hotel than a frou frou B&B, but we would rather stay in an interesting hotel or inn or B&B than a business hotel.

We like local/regional/slow food.

Thanks in advance.

I can't help you with lodging, but there is a nice, casual but delicious restaurant on Camp Bowie street (near museums). The restaurant is called Lucille's and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Packed with locals all the time. Great Sunday Brunch.

If you come while the weather is nice, it's a lot of fun to eat outside on the patio at Joe T. Garcia's. It's not that far from the museums. Actually downtown is not that far either. You'll probably have to get a hotel there. I've never stayed at the Worthington, but I hear it's nice.

Fort Worth is a wonderful city and the museums are well worth a visit. There are no hotels "near" the museums and B&B's are not available in the area; however, as the museums are near a street called "University Drive", only about 10 minutes south of the museums on University Drive, you can find a Marriott Courtyard and several other good moderate-priced motels. This is in the area of Texas Christian University. University Drive, in this same general area, is great for restaurants, also. Joe T. Garcia's (north of Downtown Fort Worth, near the Stockyards area) is an institution here, but, personally, I think the food is fairly average and the place is hugely crowded. On University Drive, you'll find an excellent "Silver Fox" (expensive), Hoffbrau Steaks (inexpensive), LaPiazza (expensive), Chili's, Macaroni Grill, and others. Visit the Stockyards in North Fort Worth, if you can, and try Lonesome Dove Restaurant.

Well, I hit something funky on my keyboard and lost my post. I had a nice list of hotels for you w/telephone numbers but now its gone. We have stayed at Etta'B&B in downtown and enjoyed it. Downtown -- a boutique hotel called the Ashton Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott (downtown and nearer the museums on Museum Way) Radisson Hotel, the Stockyards Hotel in the Stockyards (duh!) www.stockyardshotel.com. BUT if you are planning on visiting between Jan. 13 and Feb. 6 the Fort Worth Stock Show will be in town and rooms will be difficult to come by. Restaurants downtown - Reata (near Etta's B&B), Texas de Brazil, Angeluna, and many others all within walking distance in downtown. Enjoy your visit!

I'm not sure which FW museums you have in mind, but I've eaten at both the FW Modern Museum restaurant, and the Kimbell Museum restaurant. Both serve excellent food (and some items are from locally grown farms). I would not hesitate to recommend both of them if you're planning to visit those 2 museums.

The FW Modern restaurant (Cafe Modern) looks out on the very zen reflecting pool designed by Tadao Ando. Get there early and ask for a table next to the pool.

At the Kimbell (a self-service cafe), you an either sit outside at a courtyard next to a Maillol statue, or inside next to the Matisse bas-reliefs.